Neither side was able to stamp much authority on the game early on, with the only real chance falling to the visitors as Piero Hincapie had a tame header saved.
Xabi Alonso’s side eventually started to turn the screw though, and Moussa Diaby had a pair of chances for Leverkusen, flashing one long-range effort over the bar, before clattering the post from inside the area minutes later.
It took over half an hour for Augsburg to have their first shot, although Dion Beljo fired straight at Lukas Hradecky, sending an audible groan around the WWK Arena.
That was as close as they got to a goal before the break, while Diaby finally hit the target at the third time of asking, only to be denied by Rafal Gikiewicz.
Diaby continued to be Leverkusen’s main aggressor after the break, seeing a low drive from 25 yards well saved, before Beljo was once again thwarted for the hosts, this time with a fizzing drive that required tipping around the post.
Building on that close brush with joy, Enrico Maassen’s side would finally take the lead from the resulting corner, as Berisha was criminally left unmarked to nod home from inside the six-yard box.
There was nearly a re-run on 70 minutes, when the striker was again left in acres of space and should have made it 2-0, only for the chance to go begging after a heavy touch at the back post.
At the other end, Gikiewicz twice came off his line to make crucial interceptions, ensuring that Augsburg completed a league double over Leverkusen for the first time in the club’s history.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Rafal Gikiewicz (Augsburg)
